Fredericksburg, Virginia—STEP VA Inc. and many of its participants love nothing more than the spring musical and this year is no different. The local 501(c)3 non-profit with a mission to “empower people with disabilities and their families through creative expression and sensory exploration,” is bringing Disney's “Finding Nemo Jr.” to life in just two months and the cast and crew are working hard to make it happen.
For the tech crew, that includes two hours of hands-on work for two hours every Monday evening at the STEP VA studio. They're creating props, back drops, and learning how other behind-the-scenes magic is made, including sound mixing and costume design.
Carson Baiz is giving it a go this year, exclusively working with the tech crew after three years of being on stage. Only a few weeks into the build, Baiz is enjoying the experience of backstage work. While nothing has stood out to him as his favorite part just yet, he has discovered that, sometimes, prop building can be difficult.
“Painting balloons was challenging,” he said of the task the tech crew was working on recently that had them painting papier-mâchéd balloons. These will form a clutch of fish eggs in the first act of the show.
“They kept moving and were hard to hold,” Baiz added.
Having gotten his start with STEP VA as Zazu, Scar's sidekick in Disney's “The Lion King, Kids!”, Baiz has been a solid member of the cast over the years but opted to make magic in a different way this year. He said wasn't particularly interested in “Finding Nemo, Jr.,” but also admitted that sometimes acting makes him nervous. Instead, this year he wants those coming to see the show to see just how much work the tech crew does for the show.
Tyler Outlaw also stepped back into the wings this year. Having started with STEP VA two years ago as a mini Snoopy in “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” Outlaw found the experience of being on stage fun, but tiring. For him, being on the tech crew “is better than [going to] rehearsals.”
“I don't have to wear out my legs, with weeks and weeks of rehearsals,” he added.
That's not to say Outlaw hasn't found some of tech crew arduous. He's one of several tech crew members who doesn't like working with papier-mâché. When he named it as the most challenging aspect of prop making so far, another crew member chimed in with “ Yes! I strongly relate to that.”
Nodding to his teammate, Outlaw explained that, “You have get some glue and to get it on every little edge and then that's still not enough, so you have to get more glue. It takes forever and I don't like getting glue on me. Some people like it and more power to them, but I don't want to get stuck to glue all day.”
The experience hasn't been all papier-mâché, though. Outlaw reports that his favorite part of tech crew—so far—was creating puppets. He made an orange jellyfish he named Stinger Flynn
Come see the egg clutch and other papier-mâché creations Baiz, Outlaw, and the rest of the tech crew labored over, along with Stinger Flynn at STEP VA's staging of Disney's “Finding Nemo, Jr.” at Courtland High School on April 12 and 13, 2025. Tickets go on sale March 1.
For more information or to donate to STEP VA, visit www.stepva.org.
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STEP VA, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides sensory-based theater and arts programs for individuals with disabilities. Its vision is to transform the world by offering each individual the opportunity to flourish in the community.